News : Trump's defense team prepares for a redo

Thursday, February 11, 2021

Trump's defense team prepares for a redo

Feb 11, 2021

Presented by SoftBank Group

Donald Trump's defense team is waiting for another chance after their first presentation flopped, making public assurances that their arguments will be more organized. But they have some ground to cover after Republican senators described being "disgusted" upon seeing horrific new video footage on Wednesday.

The impeachment managers had a message for the jurors after new videos showed top political figures running for their lives with pro-Trump rioters approaching: They were this close to getting you. The question is: Will it change any minds?

Here are the highlights from an emotional day:

THIS CLOSE: Senators watched in stunned silence as the impeachment managers showed just how close a violent pro-Trump mob came on Jan. 6 to clashing with senators and staff -- all as Trump stood by, refusing to call off his supporters for hours.

In one case, as Senators and staff evacuated from the upper chamber, police formed a line to prepare for rioters coming their way, with manager Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) saying they were just "48 steps" away from reaching those fleeing.

Pence: One new clip showed Vice President Mike Pence and his family escaping the Senate chamber, all while Trump reportedly kept trashing Pence for doing his constitutional duty of certifying the election.

They fled as protesters chanted "hang Mike Pence," "we are coming for you," and calling Trump's No. 2 a "traitor." One video shows a rioter reading Trump's tweet attacking Pence word for word.

Romney: Police officer Eugene Goodman — who is already recognized for his heroic efforts of diverting rioters from the Senate chamber — is seen in new video footage warning Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) to turn around (Romney starts to run) shortly before Goodman raced down a flight of stairs to confront a violent group of insurrectionists who heavily outnumbered him.

"It tears at your heart and brings tears to your eyes. That was overwhelmingly distressing and emotional," Romney told reporters just minutes after seeing the video for the first time.

Schumer: Another video showed Majority Leader Chuck Schumer first walking up and then racing back down a hallway with his security detail as the Dem leader sought to get away from the mob.

Schumer was speechless as Swalwell described to the Senate how it was a "near-miss" with a crowd of rioters, my colleagues report.

Pelosi staff: Another video showed Speaker Nancy Pelosi's staff barricading themselves in a nearby conference room, where they hid under a table. Del. Stacey Plaskett (D-Virgin Islands) said it was just a span of seven minutes before the last staffer locked himself in that room and the insurrectionists came.

One rioter banged his body against the outer door three times before breaking it, but he didn't keep pushing through the next inner door. Another insurrectionist later tried to open the inner door later as well, but proved unsuccessful. One door stood in the way of the mob reaching them. Just one.

Here is audio of one staff member saying the Capitol police need to come, as rioters can be pounding on the door in the background.

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We've all wondered just how much worse the attack could've been. Now it's clear. The nation's top political figures escaped the violent mobs by just minutes, if not seconds.

Lankford's reaction: The video of D.C. police officer Daniel Hodges being crushed by rioters between a set of doors as blood appeared in his mouth left Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) visibly shaken.

As my colleagues report: "At one point, Lankford appeared to shed tears as the audio inside the Senate chamber was deafeningly loud. Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), who was sitting next to Lankford, comforted him and when the chamber briefly recessed, Daines stayed to console his colleague."

"It's painful to see," Lankford told reporters afterward. "Who in God's name thinks, 'I'm going to show that I'm right by smashing into the Capitol'? Who would do that?"

Other audio showed police officers begging for backup as they were pummeled with Trump flags, metal polls and bear spray. Body-camera footage of one officer showed the crowd shouting "We got one! We got one!" as he was dragged into the crowd and attacked.

More here from Marianne, Sarah, Mel, and Andrew: http://politi.co/3aQWbrv

Related Read: New video helping investigators in search for suspects in US Capitol police officer's death by CNN's Evan Perez, David Shortell and Caroline Kelly: http://cnn.it/3p47B00

WHERE WAS TRUMP?: Democrats didn't leave it there. They wanted the senators to know that Trump could have stepped in but didn't, even as lawmakers fled -- and others died.

Bluntly put: "On January 6th, President Trump left everyone in this Capitol for dead," said Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), an impeachment manager.

DUG IN: Senators left the chamber disgusted and angered. But Democrats still need 17 Republicans to vote with them to convict Trump.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) indicated she is finding the impeachment managers' arguments convincing, saying they are making "a very strong case," calling their presentation "pretty damning" and the new footage "greatly disturbing." But she is waiting until the defense team makes their case before arriving at a conclusion.

Even Trump's lawyer, Bruce Castor, seemed to agree, telling reporters: "I thought it was a strong day."

But as Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) reminds us, Dems won't have enough votes to convict, even if a few Republicans join them: "There will be at least 44. Or more. I think we might get one or two back on acquittal," Paul said in an interview. "Everybody objects to that violence. Everybody is horrified by that violence. But the question is: Did the president incite that?"

Andrew, Burgess and Marianne have more: http://politi.co/3tMyclN

SPARK NOTES: Watch Trump Impeachment Day 2 in 180 seconds: http://politi.co/374zq23

TOP-ED: The Trump Impeachment Evidence: He might be acquitted, but he won't live down his disgraceful conduct by the WSJ's Editorial Board: http://on.wsj.com/3tNsGzr

Related Reads: A majority of the people arrested for Capitol riot had a history of financial trouble by WaPo's Todd Frankel: http://wapo.st/2MSMzEA | Proud Boy charged in insurrection blasts Trump's 'deception' in new court filing by Kyle: http://politi.co/2Oi7aT0

TUNE IN TO GLOBAL TRANSLATIONS: Our Global Translations podcast, presented by Citi, examines the long-term costs of the short-term thinking that drives many political and business decisions. The world has long been beset by big problems that defy political boundaries, and these issues have exploded over the past year amid a global pandemic. This podcast helps to identify and understand the impediments to smart policymaking. Subscribe and start listening today.

HAPPY THURSDAY! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill on this Feb. 11, where members of Congress are being told they are lucky they "aren't a cat" as they go viral.

WEDNESDAY'S MOST CLICKED: Jonathan Turley's Op-Ed on how "reckless rhetoric is a reckless standard in this impeachment" was the big winner.

MANAGER MISSTEP?: As the day of arguments began to wrap, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) stood and voiced his objection to the portrayal of his accidental phone call from Trump on Jan. 6. Trump was actually trying to reach Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.).

The motion plunged the Senate chamber into procedural chaos before Rep. Jamie Raskin ultimately agreed to withdraw the anecdote, saying it wasn't critical to their case.

(The backstory on that call: http://cnn.it/2OmpsT7 … Lee's spox confirmed the call at the time.)

The new detail: Tuberville later told reporters Trump did most of the talking on that call, before the freshman senator told Trump that Pence was being whisked away amid the attack: "I said, 'Mr. President, they just took the vice president out, I've got to go.' That's what it was."

More here from our Matthew Choi: http://politi.co/2NbtEEO

The Timeline:

-2:15 p.m.: Reports say the call was roughly at 2 p.m.-2:15 p.m., which Tuberville reveals is around when Pence was evacuated.

-2:24 p.m.: Trump tweeted his attack that Pence "didn't have the courage" at 2:24 p.m.

-4:30 p.m.: It wasn't until roughly 4:30 p.m., another 2.5 hours or so after the call, that Trump made his now infamous remarks telling his followers he knows their "pain" and "hurt" of the election being stolen from them, but that it is time to "go home now."

CASSIDY TAKES HIS CHANCES: Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) took the riskiest bet of his career by voting that the impeachment trial should proceed, while trashing the initial performance of Trump's legal team. And back home, he is already receiving blowback, with the Louisiana GOP expressing profound disappointment over his vote.

Another censured: The local party in his hometown of Baton Rouge unanimously passed a resolution to censure Cassidy, describing his vote as "a betrayal of the people of Louisiana and a rebuke to those who supported President Trump." One Louisiana Republican official expected more such condemnations to come.

Burgess has lots more on Cassidy, who is neither a frequent Trump critic nor a fierce Trump loyalist: http://politi.co/3rKUC4W

Related Reads: Dozens of former Republican officials in talks to form anti-Trump third party, Reuters' Tim Reid with the exclusive: http://reut.rs/3pb0jaL | Former Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel announces Senate bid by Cleveland.com's Seth Richardson: http://bit.ly/2Z26F1L

BIDEN'S BLUELINE: Biden may be facing an early confrontation with his progressive base over the redline -- or perhaps more fittingly, a blueline -- his team has drawn: They do not want VP Kamala Harris to use her powers as president of the Senate to cast a tie breaking vote to keep the minimum wage provision inside the Covid relief package.

"It's a test for how we use the power of having all three, the House, the Senate and the White House," said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.). "Let's not hand wring over this ... We should use every tool in our toolbox." More here from Laura Barrón-López and Natasha Korecki: http://politi.co/3qbYls9

SPEAKING OF...This is interesting. The Problems Solvers Caucus met yesterday with former Speaker Paul Ryan (R) and former Majority Leader Dick Gephardt (D) -- a powerful bipartisan duo -- to discuss reconciliation, a source familiar with the meeting tells your Huddle host.

WHAT WAS OUT IS IN?: It used to be taboo to support primary challengers of your colleagues, but all hell is breaking loose in the post-Trump GOP. To start: Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois is going after Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, who is going after Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming. Phew, dizzy yet?

Yuuuge: During a Washington Post Live event yesterday, Kinzinger said that he has a "huge list" of members he would like to see challenged for peddling conspiracy theories, including that the 2020 election was stolen. His new PAC plans to do just that: Help Republican candidates that don't embrace Trumpism. And Gaetz and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) are at the top of his list.

The first battleground, however, was Twitter: Gaetz said "F***ing bring it" ... To which Kinzinger replied: "Language" and also posted a gif of fighter pilots in "Top Gun." (Makes your Huddle host almost miss the days of anonymous internet trolling…)

The Hill's Juliegrace has more on the PAC story that fueled the spat: http://bit.ly/2Z7Gu9G

A message from SoftBank Group:

GOP SWERVE: There was a bit of fracas at the House Agriculture Committee markup last night after a GOP amendment was narrowly adopted, forcing Chairman David Scott (D-Ga.) to scramble, Sarah reports. While it can be out in Budget or Rules committees in the end, it certainly created quite a moment, as the panel broke out into procedural motions. More here from Sarah: https://bit.ly/3pcedcT

NRCC WHOOPSIES: https://bit.ly/3aTGa3Z

ANOTHER TRAGEDY: An unidentified male committed suicide yesterday outside of freshman GOP Rep. Beth Van Duyne's residence. Van Duyne was at her home participating in the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's budget markup hearing when she heard a gunshot and had to rush off, I'm told.

It is unclear if she knew the man.

"We can confirm that an unidentified male committed suicide in front of Beth's house at approximately 3:45pm CT. She was home at the time, heard a shot, saw a body on her front walkway and called 911," her office said in a statement. "She is shocked and saddened that someone would take their own life."

CABINET CORNER:

Upcoming:

10 a.m.: The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will have a markup to vote on the nominations of Miguel Cardona to be Education secretary and Martin Walsh to be Labor secretary.

Updates:

TANDEN UPDATE: "Neera Tanden's ruthless tweets continued to haunt her confirmation process Wednesday as she faced the scorn of Senate Budget Chair Bernie Sanders, another target of her public criticism. In Tanden's second confirmation hearing for her nomination to lead ...[OMB], senators in both parties dredged up her longtime beef with Sanders, a political nemesis during her 2016 push to get Hillary Clinton elected president."

Jennifer Scholtes and Caitlin Emma have the deets: http://politi.co/3rzrk9A

THE UNOFFICIAL GUIDE TO OFFICIAL WASHINGTON: February is short month, but there is a lot in store. From the impeachment trial to the Covid relief package to intraparty squabbles, our new Playbook team is on the case. Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza and Tara Palmeri are canvassing every corner of Washington, bringing you the big stories and scoops you need to know – and the insider nuggets that you want to know – about the new power centers and players. "This town" has changed. And no one covers this town like Playbook. Subscribe to the unofficial guide to official Washington today .

TRANSITIONS

Jason Johnson is now comms director for Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas), after previously serving as the Texas Democrat's press secretary.

Amy Lawrence is now a director at Pinkston. She previously was comms director for Sen. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.).

Lorenzo Rubalcava is now health policy adviser for Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) after previously working as a health policy adviser for Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.).

Patrick Delaney will be director of external affairs for the Senate Agriculture Dems after most recently working for the House Agriculture Dems.

TODAY IN CONGRESS

The House meets at 9 a.m. in a pro forma session.

The Senate convenes at 12 p.m.

AROUND THE HILL

BUDGET RECONCILIATION MARKUPS: In the House, the Ways and Means Committee begins its markup at 10 a.m. ... the Energy and Commerce Committee markup is at 11 a.m. … Financial Services Committee markup is at 12 p.m. ... the Veterans' Affairs Committee markup is at 2 p.m.

10:30 a.m.: Schumer will hold a news conference with Georgia Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock about their efforts in the Covid-19 bill.

10:45 a.m.: Pelosi holds her weekly news conference.

12 p.m.: The Senate impeachment trial resumes.

12:30 p.m.: Rep. Charlie Crist (D-Fla.) holds a virtual forum on the need for increased funding to address "widespread food insecurity as a result of the pandemic."

6 p.m.: Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) holds a virtual town hall with representatives from the U.S. Capitol Police on "the impact of the U.S. Capitol attack on D.C. residents, public spaces, and security."

TRIVIA

WEDNESDAY'S WINNER: Peter Roff was the first person to correctly guess that President John Tyler's entire Cabinet resigned in 1841 after he vetoed a second bill for the establishment of a National Bank of the United States…with the exception of Secretary of State Daniel Webster.

TODAY'S QUESTION: From Peter: There have been lots of members of Congress who've occupied seats held by one or other of their parents over the years. When was the last time the son or daughter of a member of the leadership occupied the same leadership post as their parent?

The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your answer to obeavers@politico.com.

GET HUDDLE emailed to your phone each morning.

A message from SoftBank Group:

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